No More Wild Fires
by P.A.W.07
Summary: The war took a different turn when they had tried to wipe out the Airbenders. Fire cannot burn without air nor when it is smothered or drowned. There are so few Firebenders left in the world when everyone's trying to have their ounce of blood. Oneshot. AU


No More Wild Fires: the war took a different turn when they had tried to wipe out of Airbenders. Fire cannot burn without air nor when it is smothered in earth or drowned in water. There are so few Firebenders left in the world when everyone's trying to have their ounce of revenge. AU.

Rating: Teen

Disclaimer: Avatar the Last Airbender is no mine.

…

Zuko tried not to twitch as a Dai Li agent took a seat with a man with a long dragging braid. He had never met this man but he knew who he was… Long Feng. His breath wanted to come in panicked bursts, to scream at his uncle and the two serving girls to get out and hide. This man was dangerous, not because he was the Grand Secretariat who believed that there was no war in the walls of Bai Sing Se, but because he was driven to make sure there never would be.

Firebenders, Fire Nation descendants for that matter, attracted Airbenders who would stop at nothing to make sure there were no more Firebenders left in the world. Apparently, when Sozen's comet had come and passed, destroying the temples of the Air Nomads, the Airbenders that remained wandering the world as nomads decided with a religious impudence that the world needed to be purified. And so, having many strings attached to powerful people in many other nations, the Airbenders started a campaign for revenge behind the banner of spiritual purity.

This wasn't a one man's vendetta against the Air Nomads; the Fire Lord had built an army and polluted the purity of every Firebender. They _all_ had to go.

It was a long battle, a losing battle after the victory of Sozen comet. Some said that it was the fact that air can steal fire's power and others said it was because the Air Nomads were just so enraged. Never had an Avatar die so young… their Avatar. They never found the young Avatar's bones, but he was most certainly dead since he never came to join the hoard of young wandering Airbenders nor to stop them as the Avatar would generally do.

The boy was dead.

And no other Avatar rose up after him, meaning the spirits must have been enraged as well.

In a fit of ire, that some regret though would never admit, the other Nations decided that the Air Nomads vendetta was no longer only theirs but every ones. There was no more Avatar to keep the world at peace.

So they'd make their own.

The siege of the Fire Nation was brutal and cruel. The war had lasted for almost sixty years but finally the capital gave out and the mass genocide of the Firebenders began: except for a few servants and the Fire Lord's heirs. The soldiers had all but sacrificed themselves as their lord and the young Prince and Princess escaped.

From a whole city, than fifty servants and Firebenders escaped.

After abandoning their homeland, the three royals (their uncle having joined them later covered in blood) tried to set their roots elsewhere. Ozia was adamant is bring their Nation's pride back to life once he had grows old enough to be considered powerful; he even overthrew his brother's eldest title and took a small band of willing Firebender's to kill off the Airbender's spiritual leader.

… Lu Ten had followed.

None of them were ever heard from again though their fires could be seen on the mountain tops from miles away.

This only stoked the storm and the Airbenders lashed out once more, destroying the small settlement that the Princes had built in twenty years, cripple the population and killing Zuko's mother and maiming Iroh. Zuko, who had barely been eleven, had tried to take up the reins as prince. He had merely gotten a scar for his troubles though, a fireball being bounced back at him with a wall of wind. The movement hadn't been for defense… the bender had been hoping to kill him.

After all he was the Prince…

A Prince that serves tea now.

Shaking off his thoughts as to not seem nervous as he took Long Feng's and the other agent's orders, Zuko put on a grin and asked in a dry and almost bored tone such as Mai (the strange fire nation girl who was one of his subject's daughters who was strangely alluring despite her downfalls) would use in order to seem not to interested in the task at hand… and certainly not guiltly.

"Thanks for coming to the Jasmine Dragon, what do you want?"

The agent almost laughed at Zuko's tone. Long Feng didn't seem entirely as amused though.

"Do you always greet all your customers that way? It is a wonder you are still employed. This tea shop is supposed to be highly respected. It is a wonder why they would hire someone of your," Feng was careful with his next words, seeming to catch himself when he realized he was enacting his bad mood onto another, "attitude to continue to _enthrall_ this shop with your stoic mood."

Zuko put on a false smile, taunting the man almost as he continued in his drawl tone, "Has to, he's family."

Long Feng turned up his nose and pressed down the fabric of his uniform before added in almost a whispered tone, as if not directed by anyone but more than welcomed to be overheard, his voice reaching deep, "Well, it's best not to keep such an attitude in such a fine establishment especially with the Avatar coming to visit. Apparently he's been in a iceberg for a hundred years. It's best to keep on his good side, after all. He is the Airbending Avatar and its best not to enrage him for there is and will never be war in Ba Sing Se."

Zuko tried not to shiver. It may have been just an idle threat but it may not have been. It was hard to tell with the Dai Li.

"Noted, I'll make sure uncle gets in some flavors Airbenders would like. Now, what would you like?"

Long Feng put on that greasy smile he always seemed to wear when he'd walk into the tea shop as if knew a dreadful secret and stated, "I'll have some simple green tea and I'm sure my guest would like the ginger."

"Sure thing," stated Zuko as he slowly turned stating, "And don't worry about me causing trouble… I'm just a simple tea man after all and that's all I'll ever be."

XXX

Paw07: Oh how I wish I continue this idea. I have some wondrous plans for it, such as a mentally unstable sister who stress Zuko out all the time, and a small population of fire nation to hide from the airbenders in plain sight... and the seemingly harmless reawaken Aang. And the Dai Li don't seem ignorant. But, alas, I don't have the time. Enjoy the plot-bunny one-shot though. I love the last line.


End file.
